


Star Cake

by PinkGold



Series: Bakery AU [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bakery, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bucky Barnes's Metal Arm, Cheesy, Established Bucky Barnes/Steve Rogers, Flirting, Fluff, Getting Together, Human Disaster Tony Stark, James "Rhodey" Rhodes is a Good Bro, M/M, Mute Tony Stark, Past Abuse, Past Tony Stark/Tiberius Stone, Pre-Serum Steve Rogers, Protective Natasha Romanov, Sign Language, Some smut but is mostly fluff, Teacher Bucky Barnes, Teacher Steve Rogers, Tiberius is a horrible person, Tony likes taking care of kids
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-01
Updated: 2019-12-06
Packaged: 2020-11-26 06:28:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 18,489
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20925662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PinkGold/pseuds/PinkGold
Summary: There was a tapping noise coming from their right and both looked back up to the barista. Bucky’s smile faltered. The man was shorter than him, although not as short as Steve. He had the sweetest of smiles on his perfect lips and happy wrinkles in the corners of his perfect hazelnut eyes. His hair, which looked perfect to comb with his fingers was a dark brown, almost black, depending on the lightning. Bucky gulped dryly.He was wearing an orange polo shirt, which was probably the store’s uniform, underneath a black apron. The color worked wonders with his brown-ish skin. He held up a notepad to their faces.‘Welcome to Star Cakes. My name is Tony, I’m mute. I’ll be communicating with you through the notepad. How may I help you?’was written down, in an exemplary cursive.———Orwhere a cute little bartender named Tony meets a hot and very flirty couple. Some angst entailed, but lots of love too.





	1. One

**Author's Note:**

> Aaaaa!! Here it is!! The first chapter finally out! This is a longer version of a little snip I wrote back in March, and since I love the trope so much I decided to give it a little more love.  
I want to thank specially stuckony discord group for being so supportive and always listening to me ranting about this au. Also @prouvaire and @betheflame for betaing this chapter and more! Thank you guys <3  
So, with all that said, I hope you enjoy reading as much as I enjoyed writing it!! Thank you

The wind had picked up drastically as the sun started to go. That wasn’t a good sign. He looked at Steve just in time to catch him holding back a shiver. 

“Are you sure you’re ok, Stevie?” He asked, trying not to move around too much.

Steve frowned, but didn’t take his eyes from the canvas as he made his last touches. “Hush, don’t talk.”

“I’m barely moving as it is.” An orange autumn leaf got caught on his ankle and he remained frozen in place, proving his own point. “Steve…”

“I’m fine.” he quipped. 

But not a second later, Steve sneezed when a stronger breeze rushed through them.

Bucky broke his pose and picked his bag from the ground. “That’s it. No more painting for today.”

Steve screeched dramatically, but allowed Bucky to take the brush from his hand with little resistance. They cleaned and packed with ease, putting the brushes and paints carefully in Bucky’s bag before moving away from the pound in the park.

“We have to come back here tomorrow, Bucks, I’m almost done.” Steve said, eyes still glued to the canvas in his hands, looking at it with shining yet critical eyes. It made Bucky’s chest radiate warmth. He shook his head, smiling.

“No problem, but you’ll catch a cold if you stay out a while longer, you know that.”

Steve huffed, but hugged his coat firmly around his tiny form. “Yes,  _ Mom.” _

He swatted Steve playfully on the back of his head and ignored the outraged pitch Steve let out in order to give a look around where they were going.

They’d left the park a few minutes ago and were now strolling down an old road. The street’s cobblestones were round and smooth with use and shone peachy tones from the sunset. The air was getting colder, but it was a perfect mixture of the chilly winter fragrance with a sweet hint of baked goods.

Baked goods?

His eyes fell instantly on the traditional looking building a few meters from them. Looked simple, but the smell coming from inside was divine. Bucky’s stomach grumbled.

“Should we go in there?” he pointed at the bakery.

“Yes, please.” Steve answered eagerly. Bucky snorted; it seemed he wasn’t the only one affected by the delicious smell.

As they opened the door they were attacked by a stronger wave of that same aromatic smell, accompanied by a warmth characteristically of cosy shops. The inside looked just as traditional and rustic as the outside had promised. Shades of brown and orange from the tables and chairs worked well together with the warm colors of the walls. There was a fireplace cackling alive on the far right of the shop, which gave the warmth a whole new meaning.

The tables were all empty, only a couple were in the shop aside from them, but they were already leaving the bakery with a few take-away bags that would probably feed a party of twenty. As the couple closed the door behind them, they were left alone with the barista, who had his head tucked underneath the counter.

Steve left his side and shyly made his way to the cakes shelf and Bucky didn’t fight the smile that delicately made its way to his face. He ogled all the different cakes with a passion reserved only for desserts. How could someone so small eat so many sweets and never get fat? Bucky would never understand Steve’s metabolism.

There was a tapping noise coming from their right and both looked back up to the barista. Bucky’s smile faltered. The man was shorter than him, although not as short as Steve. He had the sweetest of smiles on his perfect lips and happy wrinkles in the corners of his perfect hazelnut eyes. His hair, which looked perfect to comb with his fingers was a dark brown, almost black, depending on the lightning. Bucky gulped dryly.

He was wearing an orange polo shirt, which was probably the store’s uniform, underneath a black apron. The color worked wonders with his brown-ish skin. He held up a notepad to their faces.

_ ‘Welcome to Star Cakes. My name is Tony, I’m mute. I’ll be communicating with you through the notepad. How may I help you?’ _ was written down, in an exemplary cursive.

“Uh — ” He’d been so focused on the man he forgot to decide what to order, “I would like a hot cocoa and one of these.” he tapped his prosthetic fingers against the counter’s glass displayer, pointing at the banana cinnamon cake.

Steve stood straighter and cleared his throat, “Could I have a mochaccino and a dark chocolate cupcake, please?” he said it so fast Bucky wasn’t sure Tony understood half of it. He caught Steve getting red by the corner of his eyes and something inside his head clicked into place.

_ Oh _ .

Bucky smirked predatory. Steve seemed as attracted to Tony as he was. He liked this information, it meant that —

_ ‘Anything else?’ _

“Yes, actually.” —they should flirt. Steve’s eyes widened only a fraction. “These.” He grabbed two pink truffles that were over the counter. “For the sweetest thing in this bakery,” Bucky smiled charmingly. “You.”

It was captivating seeing someone so beautiful getting flustered and blushing over a stupid line. Bucky smile grew more genuine. Steve rose an eyebrow at him but didn’t protest, Bucky took it as a good sign.

Tony stumbled around for a while more before recomposing himself and scribbling again in his notepad, a little agitated still.

_ ‘Please, feel comfortable to sit anywhere, I’ll bring your order soon.’ _

They sat at the table glued to the window, placing Steve’s artwork against the glass. The sun had set a few minutes ago, yet the horizon still had a few hints of orange that illuminated the contours of the buildings in the street. The lampposts were still out, but any minute now they would give this road a new aspect.

“I hope he doesn’t throw us out because of your flirty mouth, Bucks.” Steve said with a whiny sigh and placed his head over his arms on the table.

“He won’t. He loved it _ ,” _ he confided and fiddled with Steve’s fingers, which were stained with green and blue paint, but Bucky found it so characteristic of Steve, and he didn’t mind one bit. “You saw that blush in his face?”

“I did.” Steve turned his head so he was looking at Bucky but still resting the side of his head on his forearm. “It was really cute.” he mumbled.

He nodded, something from earlier sparked in his mind. “You said you were almost finishing the piece?” Bucky pointed at the drying canvas by the window. He could finally see the art taking form.

Steve had given more details to the background before focusing on the person right at the center of the painting, who still looked out of place without the final touches. The entire piece gave him Aphrodite’s Birth and La Grande Jatte mixed vibes, seeing that the beautiful park scenery had only one main breathtaking person in it.

Sometimes Bucky forgot how talented Steve really was.

“Yes, just need a few final touches around here and there…” he broke into a more detailed explanation, the teacher inside of him shining through passionately, and Bucky listened, always ready to hear Steve talk about the things he loved.

A few minutes later, Tony reappeared through the door carrying a tray with their order, which snapped them both out of their conversation.

Bucky sat straighter on his chair trying to look like a neater person. Steve followed suit, cringing when he accidentally scratched the chair against the floor, making a shrieking noise resonate over the spacious bakery.

“Sorry…” he said a little stiffly, but Tony shook his head and waved Steve’s worry away. He eyed Steve’s art with curious glances, as though he wanted to ask about it, but didn’t. Instead, he placed the tray down so smoothly it barely made any noise, and arranged their orders in front of them. Soon, the only thing left on the tray were the pink truffles Bucky bought for him.

Except, before they could say more than a thanks, Tony excused himself and shied away in long strides until he was well hidden behind the counter. Bucky pouted at the fast retreat, but didn’t mention anything. Though maybe if Tony had stayed just a few seconds longer...

When he looked at Steve, he saw the same duality on those clear blue eyes. He squeezed his boyfriend’s hand and gave him a reassuring smile, which was all Steve needed to relax.

The rest of their evening was pleasing, if mostly uneventful. They enjoyed their sweets —and yes, a cake that good wasn’t easy to find just anywhere—and talked about what they should do in the next few days. He wasn’t surprised when Steve suggested visiting the park again, and maybe again the next day as well, and the day after that…

He’d stolen a few glances in Tony’s direction from time to time, and smiled to himself in the occasions he caught the barista looking at them before abruptly looking back down. There was definitely something to those glances...he didn’t know what, but it felt  _ important. _

When they left the bakery, Bucky couldn’t help but notice the truffle’s pink wrap paper sticking out from Tony’s apron pocket. A spark inside Bucky lightened up.

They were totally coming to visit the park again.

-

His apron’s pocket was a heavy reminder that what had happened wasn’t a dream, and yes, that couple had flirted with him shamelessly. Tony swiped the bakery tables one at a time until they were spotless and shining. He didn’t dare to eat the truffles right now. He could: Fury wasn’t around and no one would witness it, thank God Pepper was on that dinner party. The truffles had been tantalizing him since he put them in his pocket.

A tired sigh left his chest, arms suddenly sore as he looked at the mop in the corner reminding him of his next chore. He wasn’t eating it. Tony didn’t have time to be analyzing what had gone down, not with all the chores he still had to do before closing the store.

Yes, he was going to think about it only when he got home. Yes.

But it didn’t take long before their smiles invaded his thoughts again like weed growing rampantly. He groaned and propped his forehead over the mop’s wooden handle as a small timid smile appeared on his face. Why were emotions so difficult?

They were so nice and kind and cute. All Tony had wanted to do was to eat his truffles while listening to them chat. He wanted to ask the blond one about the canvas he had been clutching before resting against the window, wanted to examine every brush, every color. For what he had been able to see, it was a drawing of the brunet guy sitting next to the pound from the park a few blocks down, but he would have to ask for a close up if he wanted to see all the details.

He swiped the mop brusquely. Would that be rude? Would the blond feel awkward if he asked? Tony didn’t even know if they were coming back. Probably not, it probably was just a one time thing.

That’s why they flirted with him so openly.

Yeah.

Tony closed the bakery half an hour later. The truffles were now in his jeans pockets, still just a heavy reminder as before, but a little bittersweet now. He rushed home, walking up slopes and turning corners mechanically following the lampposts until he got to his building. He ran up the stairs two at a time, not really caring if it got him breathless and opened his apartment door. 

To his relief, Rhodey was sitting there on the couch, eating something out of a bowl while watching TV.

_ “Platypus!” _ he signed, moving his hands all over the place, _ “you won’t believe what happened at work today.” _

Rhodes chuckled and dropped his spoon back in the ceramic bowl, which had been a present from Tony’s mother once he told her he was finally moving out. She had bought him most of the kitchen utensils, which was a blessing in his opinion. They didn’t have the money to be buying all stuff they needed, even if the two of them worked almost everyday.

“Slow down Tones. Deep breaths, ok? Why don’t you grab something to eat and tell me all about it while you fill up your stomach?”

Tony nodded and did as he was told. He knew that if he didn’t, Rhodey would persist until he got something in his stomach. 

Once he was sitting on the couch and eating the rice and lentils Rhodey made, Tony told him everything.

“That’s…” Rhodey shook his head, “And you said they bought you truffles?”

_ “Yes.” _ Tony fumbled in his pockets until both pink wrappers were in his hand. He dropped them in his lap and signed, _ “They said--” _ his hands faltered,  _ “They said they were buying it for the sweetest thing in the store, and gave it to me!” _ he poked his chest a few times to emphasize his despair.

Rhodey snorted. “Don’t be dramatic, Tones. I, for one, think that they were kinda charming.”

_ “Charming?” _ Tony parroted,  _ “it was cheesy, _ so  _ cheesy.” _

“How did you react?”

Tony blushed and stumbled to answer. _ “Well, you know, I got embarrassed--.” _

“You liked it!” Rhodey jabbed his toe under Tony’s ribs and laughed. “You can’t lie to me, Tony. _ ” _ he teased.

_ “Shut up! I didn’t!”  _ Although not even as he said it did he believe in his words. His shoulders slumped.

“Hey, what’s wrong? What’s with the sudden long face?” Rhodey sobered up, sitting straighter against the couch’s arm.

Tony shook his head and shrugged,  _ “It’s stupid, I mean, crushing on a couple I’ve seen once? And probably will never see again? And if I do? What if this escalates to something else?” _ He hugged himself.  _ “I don’t think I’m ready.” _ With one hand, he signed, exhaustion from the work day finally hitting him,  _ “Why am I like this?” _

“Tony, hey, there’s nothing wrong with you. What that bastard did was out of place, I will never  _ ever _ even  _ think _ of forgiving him. But it’s been almost two years… maybe it’s time to start letting people in again.” he scooched closer to Tony, wrapping his friend in a protective hug. “Tony, we fall in love a little bit everyday with someone new.”

Tony snorted and lifted his head from Rhodey’s chest, looking at him incredulously.  _ “Did you just quote Hozier?” _

“Is he wrong, though?”

Tony cocked his head to the side for a beat, then shook it.

_ “I guess he isn’t.” _ Tony smiled timidly. Really, he didn’t know how he would live without Rhodey.  _ “Thank you.” _

Rhodey smiled back, _ “You’re welcome.” _ he signed, left hand gesturing in the air before ending palm up in his chest.

Tony’s smile widened sloppily and he hid his face back down Rhodey’s chest.

That night, before going to bed, he ate the truffles. They were as sweet as he had imagined, the chocolate melted almost instantly in his mouth, its flavour flowing over his taste buds, spreading that sugary mix easily until no space was free from it.

Tony slept with his heart pouring chocolate.


	2. Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for your kudos and comments, yall don't know how much they boost my enthusiasm for this lil fic of mine <3
> 
> This chapter has a smutty smut scene, you've been warned.
> 
> I hope you enjoy!! <3

_ “Pepeeer,” _ Tony whined to his friend and co-worker, making sure to sign her nickname as pronounced as he could. She looked at him with eyes that knew what was coming as she finished up making the latest coffee order. _ “I don’t want to work anymore, I wanna go home.” _

“Quit complaining and take this order, yeah?” She rolled her eyes, “You’re only moody because you had to close the bakery alone yesterday.”

_ “You know how much I hate that.” _ he pouted, but grabbed the tray and left her side to do his job. And really, being alone in the bakery was always a case of anxiety for him. Nothing that he couldn’t handle - he had to deal with it since a young age.

But working in a place that was almost always full with people who didn’t understand sign language was the worst. Sure, he had no problem using a notepad for when there was a couple of people around, but he didn’t feel like his point got across when their numbers grew larger than he could count.

Not being able to express himself was his number one fear.

Tony nodded and smiled when one of their regular customers clumsy signed ‘thank you’ as he placed his order in front of him. That’s nice: people learning how to sign to speak with him. That always made his day. Slowly, this little act from the customer brushed aside most of the bad feelings that were swimming around his head.

When he got behind the counter again, Pepper was eyeing him worriedly.

“I’m really sorry that I’ve left you here alone yesterday. I mean it. But Nat couldn’t turn down another dinner invitation from her parents.”

_ “Oh yeah, how was the dinner party?” _

She narrowed her eyes, “Don’t think I don’t realize you are changing subjects like that. It was okay-ish. Kinda. Well—not really.” She shrugged and leaned against the cash machine, looking a little like the entire weight of the world was on her shoulders, “They still want to know when she’s getting a proper husband.”

_ “Yikes.” _

“Yeah, yikes.” Pepper raised her eyebrows cynically. Their conversation was cut short as duty called once more. Pepper dealt with the people lining up to order, while Tony dealt with said orders. It was a little after one in the afternoon, so people were coming in to eat lunch or grab a sweet dessert for the afternoon.

The day was clear again, perfect for a hang out, or a bicycle ride, or whatever activity people did on a sunny Saturday afternoon, and it seemed to be what the majority of the people were doing. Tony had to ask Thor and Valkyrie in the kitchen to bake a few more batches of muffins and croissants, because they were selling like crazy.

He made another quick run around the tables to clean them as he motioned for more newcomers to take a seat. If the bakery was this crowded, he didn’t want to imagine how the park was. Did the guys from yesterday find their spot to continue the painting? Or was it too full of people that they gave up and left disappointed?

Tony sighed as he cut another generous slice of hazelnut brownie. He hoped they would come again, though. He didn’t know what he would say, but he wanted to see them. And not even because they were the most gorgeous men in the world, but because they seemed like nice people.

Seeming to sense the gloomy aura that fell upon Tony, Pepper tugged him by the shirt a few moments later, when the flow of people had dimed.

“Nothing  _ did  _ happen last night, right?” She had her brown creased.

Tony shook his head and let down the cloth he was using to clean the counter before answering.  _ “That couple who ordered a dozen danishes came around to pick them up, and,” _ he hesitated, hands hanging around them.  _ “Well…” _ He blushed and looked down.

Pepper hovered closer, her protective instincts kicking in. “What is it?” 

_ “Nothing, really--” _ He was cut by a short but polite cough, and both turned to look to the newcomers on the other side of the wooden counter. Tony’s heart skipped a beat as he took in both the blond and the brunet guys from yesterday. He blushed. The ghost flavor of the truffles rose in his mouth.

They were both looking at him with shy yet cute smiles on their faces. Gosh, Tony was so gone.

“Hello again.” said the blond one after he wet his lips eagerly. He gave Tony a little wave.

Tony waved back, still a little perplexed—they  _ did  _ show up!—and still a little flushed. He managed, though, to give them a smile in return before they turned their attention to Pepper. As she took their order, Tony couldn’t help but take in their looks.

The blond one had a red flannel pattern scarf tightly tangled around his neck. He was wearing a black hoodie too big on his small form, probably one from the big guy’s closet. All in all, he looked a little overdressed for the season, although his perky nose did look redder than it probably should.

Moving his eyes up, Tony noticed the other man was wearing the same clothes he wore yesterday, a simple white shirt underneath a black jacket with colorful flowers for sleeves. Probably because he was modeling.

Speaking of…

The canvas was again being held by the—he should probably ask their names, it got tiring calling them by their hair color—smaller man, carefully not to touch the drying spots. It had more detail than it did the day before, and Tony wanted nothing more than to be able to study every one.

He snapped out of it when he heard Pepper say his name in the conversation.

“I’ll make sure to have Tony take you your order in no time.” She smiled professionally at them. One who didn’t know Pepper Potts as well as Tony did, would even have thought that was a sincere smile. But there was a hint of curiosity and shock in her beautiful eyes Tony couldn’t have mistaken.

The men glanced at Tony once more before nodding and heading for the same table they sat on yesterday. When he looked back at Pepper, she was she was giving him the most incredible look. She raised her hands and signed, curt yet excited.

_ “Nothing, you said. They’re not looking at you like nothing happened yesterday.” _

Tony’s blush got deeper.

-

“What do you think they’re talking about?” Bucky whispered to Steve as they looked at Tony and Pepper moving their hands furiously between themselves. Tony would sometimes shift his gaze to where they were, before snapping his eyes back at his co-worker and answering whatever she signed. 

“No idea.” Steve squinted his eyes to see if he could read the soundless words that fell from Tony’s mouth whenever he signed. How he wished they had enrolled on that ASL extracurricular in college.

Steve frowned, now that he thought about it, shouldn’t sign language be something all teachers should know? His insides twisted uncomfortably. Maybe they should join a class now, and maybe they should suggest it to the other teachers as well. Sure, for an art teacher like himself, communicating wasn’t really a problem since he has other methods to resort to, like drawings, for example. But for Bucky? History involved a lot of talking and listening.

What if one day they got a deaf student? They aren’t prepared for that kind of situation. Oh god, they should be.

Yes. They’ll start ASL lessons as soon as possible, that’s the only reason. Nothing to do with a crazy cute barista and their crush on him—

“Stevie, you are spiraling again.” Steve blinked at the snapping metal fingers in front of his face before moving his attention to Bucky, who was looking at him with an amused expression on his face.

He blushed and blurted out, “I was just thinking we should learn sign language.”

Bucky raised an eyebrow, turned to look over his shoulder at Tony, who was now brewing their coffees with his sweet back turned to them, and back at Steve, with a growing smirk on his face.

“I’m down.”

His blush intensified. Bucky wiggled his eyebrows, innuendo hanging clearly between them, and Steve was ready to shush his boyfriend when, out of the corner of his eye, he caught Tony coming their way. He straightened up, duplicating the same moves he’d made the day before in the same situation.

Bucky must have caught it too, because he cleared his throat and sat back in his chair comfortably. Tony stood with his tray at the table end. He served Bucky first, placing a small double shot espresso and a chocolate dipped alfajor in front of him. Bucky was excited to try this new sweet, Pepper had said they’ve arrived from Argentina only a few hours ago. The way she described it, two round soft cookies with  _ dulce de leche _ filling dipped in chocolate, brought water to his mouth. Tony then put Steve’s plate down, which held a beautiful éclair, down in front of him with a dexterous hand, leaving only Steve’s iced coffee in the tray.

Steve only wanted to help, that’s all. As Tony’s fingers hooked in the mug’s handle, Steve lifted his hand to help him place it down, but it probably startled Tony. Their fingers accidentally touched and Tony’s hand retracted so fast, half the liquid inside the mug splattered on Steve’s hoodie.

He instinctively hauled his chair back and grimaced at the growing spot of coffee in his hoodie. Agitated hands hesitated a moment in front of his chest before it dabbed a handful of napkins in the wet stain. When Steve faced up, Tony was crimson, face contorting into a half grim, half misery expression.

With a deep, relaxing breath, Steve calmly cupped both Tony’s hands in his, even if they were a lot bigger than his, and waited for the man’s gaze fall in his eyes. When it finally did, albeit reluctantly, Steve gave him a reassuring smile.

“It’s ok, it’s only a little bit of coffee.”

Tony frowned and shook his head, moving his hands in the air before remembering himself and stopping. He bit his lower lip and pondered something before lifting both his index fingers in the universal ‘wait’ sign and ran to the backdoor.

The door didn’t even have time to close before Tony was storming back, now with a red hoodie folded in hands. He unfolded it and extended to Steve. The hoodie was about the same size as the one he was wearing —which made sense because it was originally Bucky’s—and appeared soft to the touch. It was clean, so clean it looked new.

“I couldn’t, really.” Steve shook his head. If this was Tony’s hoodie and he were to give it to him, what would Tony wear once he got out of his shift? No way Steve’s letting Tony without his warm clothing.

But Tony offered it again, looking genuinely worried at Steve’s state. 

“Bucky…” he turned to his boyfriend for help, who in turn shrugged.

“It’s better than your drenched one, Steve.” he said, but his eyes were screaming excitement. ‘Yes.’ they said.

So Steve shyly took the hoodie from Tony’s hand. Soft, just as he had expected.

“Thank you.” he said sincerely. He was starting to feel the coffee getting through his own hoodie and into his shirt, so he undressed quickly and bundled it in the sit next to him before getting into Tony’s one.

He was instantly assaulted by several distinct smells. Coffee was the strongest, of course, but there were also faint scents of coconut, sweets and something characteristically Tony… something that matched perfectly with those gentle, tender eyes.

Tony averted his eyes and became another shade of red the moment Steve looked up. His heart squeezed.

But his line of thought got cut as the intensity of Bucky’s gaze finally caught up to him. His eyes were shining, and suddenly Steve knew exactly what mood Bucky was in. Steve had to hold back a shiver from escaping his body.

Bucky turned to the blushing barista, with an obscene smile and asked, in his most provocative voice, the one which always got Steve moaning and begging for more. “Did you enjoy your truffles?”

-

_ ‘Did you enjoy your truffles?’ _

Tony fumbled to find the right key to his front door and rushed in the moment he got it.

That wasn’t fair. Not even the least fair. Bucky’s eyes were so intense, he could  _ feel  _ the electricity in the air, coming in contact with his skin and making it tingle with carnal want.

There was a sticky note in the living room table from Rhodey. He read it and sighed relieved.

Rhodey was sleeping at Carol and Maria’s house tonight. Tony had the entire house to himself. 

He made a quick detour to the kitchen to grab something to eat by Rhodey’s orders, then made his way to the bathroom for a quick shower. The warm water didn’t make it easier for him to forget the heat in those words, nor the way Bucky’s lips moved in slow motion, his jaw lewdly slack.

He’d been looking at Steve before he noticed the change in the air. Not that anyone could’ve blamed him: Steve looked extra cute in his hoodie. Not only cute but…

Tony could feel his chest getting redder. He scrubbed the day’s dirt out of his body, hoping it would help him balm the increasing heat, but his nipples were already too responsive to subside.

The mood had changed with a click. Suddenly the air had felt heavier, thicker. His cock had twitched with desire as he’d gulped and nodded his answer to Bucky. Even his hair prickling against his work clothes had sent a spike of pleasure through him. It hadn’t gotten any better as Bucky’s hunter-like smile spread over his face.

_ “Good,” he’d said in a deep voice. _

_ ‘Good’ _ , Tony groaned and pinched a nipple. The pain-pleasure reaction ran like a burning fire through his body, igniting all the dormant places.

His hands slid down, rubbing against his sensitive sides and his belly with hasty, airy touches, just enough to make him shiver. He ignored the throbbing coming from his cock, only for now. He wanted to feel the goosebumps riling him up a bit more.

The hot water glided over his sensitive neck and down his chest. Tony bit his lower lip, feeling the water working its delicate way down his nipples to his navel. He soaked his hands with soap and rubbed it with wide circling motions from his neck, to his shoulders and arms, hugging himself.

Once he was content with how slippery his skin felt, his hands slid downwards and backwards, giving his ass a tight squeeze.

Tony closed his eyes and imagined those hands weren’t his, but those of one excessively handsome brunet. The owner of the strong hands spread his cheeks apart and let the warm steam from the shower hit against his rim before the water rushed through the crack. Tony groaned and inclined his ass up, spreading his legs to get a better position for the water to get in.

With his index finger, he circled his rim with just enough pressure to feel it. He shivered as it contracted involuntarily at the touch. The brunet from his imagination sank to his knees, spread Tony’s cheeks wider and tentatively licked his entrance.

Tony choked out a loud moan and felt his dick hardening to full mast. At this rate he wasn’t going to finish this shower anytime soon, not that he cared: the apartment's bill was still on his father’s name, so he could use and abuse the water as he saw fit. 

With his other hand, Tony thrust two fingers in his mouth, sucking and licking, rough against his tongue until they felt slippery. The wet noise from the sucks made him feel dirtier, slutier and more excited, his body more acute to pleasure.

In his imagination, his fingers slowly morphed into a heavy cock. When he looked up, he saw Steve, jaw slacked and eyes blissfully closed with lust. Tony made sure to take it further and suck it harder, just to hear the imaginary gasps the blonde let out.

Tony could come just like this, between the imaginary versions of his latest desire--but he wanted to take it further. He pressed his digit inside himself before slowly pushing it all in. He proceeded to slide it out and in again, but this time with a second finger joining it.

He let out a muffled moan around his fingers and widened his stance for support as he continued prodding his ass in preparation. Once he decided his asshole was stretched enough he removed his fingers, leaving his ass to contract around nothing and gave his cock a few tugs just so he was fully hard. Tony turned off the water, dried himself and scrambled to his room.

He felt the buzz of excitement travel beneath his skin with every step, and as he opened his wardrobe and grabbed both his dildo and some lube, he felt slightly foolish as his heart pulsed in his throat.

It was those eyes’ fault. Those deep ice blue, intense eyes. Hunger for the touch. But it was also that sweet blush, and content smile and comfortable pose.

Tony groaned and threw himself face down on the bed. He thrust his hips against the mattress, getting a nice pressure against his dick. He moaned and did it again, until he found the perfect rhythim to rub his cock over the soft covers of his bed, hips snapping up and down.

Now, the two imaginary men were watching him from the bedside, lazely stroking their dicks in unison to Tony’s thrusts. 

He bit his lip and let his head fall on the bed, friction becoming too good to stop. But before he could come, he pressed his hips tight against the bed, held back his movements and grabbed both the lube and his dildo. 

Once the dildo had a nice coat of lube, he bent his ass up and pressed the tip against his ass. Steve and Bucky from his imagination cut short their movements and squeezed their dicks as they intently looked at the red dildo stretching up Tony easily, like he’s done it over and over again in the past.

He whimpered and groaned as his shivering hands pressed the dildo in. The burn from the stretching felt great, his breath hitched with every inch that managed to slip in. He gasped when it rubbed over his most responsive sensorial glands and crumpled a handful of the blanket tightly.

His hips rocked backwards involuntarily, trying to get it all in one go. But he kept a steady pace, knowing he wouldn’t be able to hold back once he got it all in. Tony’s other hand made a quick detour to his crotch and teased his heavy balls, grunting as he shook with the amount of pleasure he got from both stimulation.

Once it was fully inside, he took his time to catch his breath, air coming rapidly into his mouth. He lost sense of time, his vision became blurry on the edges, only thing that mattered now was the pleasant stretch of his ass and the heavy weight of his cock over the cotton blanket. And of course, the piercing gaze of the two imaginary men right next to him.

Tony eased his hips back down on the mattress, spread his legs wider and higher and started shifting the dildo. The movement ripped off a silent moan from his throat, as the dildo hit all the right places.

He pulled it all the way out, leaving just the tip inside before driving it back inside. Tony maintained a fast pace, knowing exactly how harsh he could take it for it to still be pleasurable, and pressed his hips solidly against the mattress. 

He groaned as every bump of the dildo made his cock grind down as his hips moved involuntarily. The pace made itself, Tony only followed the flow blissfully, each second becoming more erratic as he got closer to his release.

The men from his imagination had their eyes glued on his ass, following the pornographic thrusts and licking their lips with want. They tensed, spasms running wild through their bodies as they ran their hands fast over their leaking cocks, circling the heads swiftly.

That was all it took for him to tip over the edge.

With one last strong slam against his prostate, Tony pressed down as he came between himself and the covers. He cried out and squeezed his eyes shut, letting the wave of the orgasm wash through him.

A few minutes later, after he caught his breath, he removed the dildo and stretched on the bed, the wetness from his cum making him cringe a little, but not enough to ruin his blissed out mood. 

If he took just a quick nap, he could take care of that in a few minutes. All was good. All was great.

-

Bucky gasped, pulled out of Steve and collapsed heavily next to him so he didn’t smother his tiny boyfriend with his huge frame.

“That was… wow,” Steve said in between breaths, chest heaving rapidly. He struggled to get his hands free from the knot Bucky made with Tony’s hoodie, so Bucky helped him and swiftly eased it off, massaging Steve’s pale wrists afterwards.

“Yeah…” he agreed. Sex has always been exceptional with Steve, but this was next level kind of stuff. “Next time, instead of imagining what he would be like in bed, let’s invite Tony over, deal?”

“Deal.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you think? Comments and Kudos are always welcomed.  
Next chapter on friday!!


	3. Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gaaaah~ all these kudos and comments, you guys know how to make a person's heart melt, don't you?! :')  
So, since tomorrow I'll go on a trip I won't be able to post a new chapter, have an early treat <3  
Hope you enjoy reading!!   
Warning!: mild panic attack at the end of the chapter.

The sharp signal announcing the end of the day’s classes rang over the entire school. It was just a matter of time before Tony saw Monica trotting from the main entrance and into his arms. He smiled to himself. It’s been quite some time since he’d last seen Monica, and if he was being honest with himself, he missed her.

Since her school year started a month ago, Monica hadn’t been around the bakery as much. It was kind of a bummer: she’d always brighten his day with her ear to ear smiles. 

But since today was his day off, and neither Maria nor Carol nor Rhodey could pick her up, the job fell on him--he secretly doubted all three of them were too busy to pick her from school, they probably plotted this so Monica could hang with him for a while. He watched contently as kids a few years older than Monica started to clear out from the main entrance and exit the school grounds in groups of four or three while others waited around to be picked up.

“Tony!” Monica cried out from somewhere on his left. She must have left between the first round of the crowd, then. Monica had her hair styled in two ponytails high up in her head and was wearing an old green shirt. Tony frowned, he was sure he’s seen Carol using this shirt a few years back. Now, though, it looked old and had a few stains of blue and red paint on it.

Brushing that off his mind, he crouched and hugged her tightly once she was on arm's length. She hugged back just as intensely and smiled excitedly once they broke apart.

_ “How are you?” _ he asked, hands moving slowly since she was just beginning to learn sign language. His smile got wider and he nodded proudly when she waved her hand vertically in front of her chest, signing correctly.

“I’m fine.” she said at the same time.

Since that was pretty much everything she knew in ASL--although Maria told him she’s eager to learn more. ‘It’s so I can speak with uncle Tony’ Maria told him once. He’d become a puddle of love when she told him that, and he’s not even embarrassed to admit.-- Tony grabbed his notepad and wrote down his next question.

“Wanna go eat some ice cream?”

She nodded eagerly and bounced cheerfully at the perspective. But soon after she stopped jumping, her eyes widening comically. He frowned and gratefully, she understood his silent question.

“I forgot to change my shirts!” she stretched the hem of her shirt and looked down, small terror going over her facial expression. 

_ “Where is your other one?” _ he wrote down.

“In the art classroom. Can we go grab it?”

He nodded and stood, holding his open palm for her to hold on as she retraced her steps back to the art room. She took him all the way to the other side of the school, walking across the courtyard still full of children running around from one side to the other. Tony had to sidestep a dozen kids so he avoided bumping into them, and they didn’t even apologize.

Reckless, that’s what they were. Where were these kids’ parents?

Once Tony helped Monica push the door open, she let go of his hand and broke into an agitated sprint to the third door on the corridor to their right. The door was open, but she patiently waited by the door frame for the teacher to acknowledge her. 

“Monica! I was just about to go find you.” said the voice from inside the room. Tony froze, still a few meters away from the door. That strong timbre was unmistakable now that he got used to it after almost two weeks of listening to it nearly everyday.

He heard the tapping noise of shoes against floor and held his breath as the man approached the door. 

“Uncle Tony invited me to eat ice cream!” He paid only half attention to what Monica was saying, the other half still frozen in place. “But then I remembered I forgot my shirt, so we had to come back.”

“Tony?” the man said, just as he stepped out of the classroom holding a purple long sleeved shirt and a white jacket. His sapphire eyes instantly fell on him and stayed there for a long breath, looking just as surprised as he was.

Tony raised a hand and waved slowly at Steve, smiling, even though it probably came out a bit shaky. Steve blinked and seemed to snap out of his trance. He returned the smile--naturally a more solid smile than Tony’s--and discreetly checked him up and down.

Tony blushed, feeling exposed. It made him remember his wet dream from that second night after meeting the couple… and basically every night after that. Honestly, Tony didn’t know how he could still look at them in the eye.

Steve was not only a teacher but also taught in Monica’s school! This was too much.

“It’s so nice to see you out of your uniform for once,” Steve said in a cheery voice. Tony agreed with him. It wasn’t always that he could chose the clothes he wore, so when he did, he always made sure to dress how he liked. Today was no different. He was wearing a dark grey jersey with red horizontal stripes underneath a black overcoat. The skies had started to darken when he got ready to pick up Monica, so he got ready for the possible cold.

In comparison, Steve looked unbelievably cute--not that he wasn’t cute 24/7--in his dark blue apron and light grey hoodie.

The moment was broken by a high confused noise Monica let out.

“You guys know each other?” She sounded amusingly disoriented.

Steve chuckled, “We do. He’s a waiter from the best bakery in the city. Me and teacher James like to go there whenever we can. The food is delicious.” Tony coughed, not missing the innuendo in his tone. Also, did Steve just call Bucky ‘teacher James’? Oh God, this was becoming more and more unbearable.

“Star Cake!” Monica squealed enthusiastically. “I know it! Daddy takes me there all the time!” by the frown in Steve’s face, he could already predict his next question. Tony prepared his notepad when Steve asked.

“Dad?”

_ “I’ll explain it fully later, it’s a long story. But Carol and Maria are dating a friend of mine for almost a year now.” _

Steve blinked at him, seeming to freeze after reading the new information. He looked so shook it rubbed wrong.

“The three of them are dating?” he asked incredulously, all goggled eyes.

Tony frowned and scrawled curtly, defensiveness boiling under his skin.

_ “You don’t need to look so shocked just because they are in a three way relationship.” _

Honestly, to think he imagined Steve and Bucky would be open to that kind of stuff. If they had problems with polygamy, Tony was sure to start keeping his distance from them. He already has a family that doesn’t understand, a crazy ex that tried to change him, now he was getting judged by some random people he has been secretly crushing the two weeks? He can do better.

“No, that’s not it,” Steve shook his hands, smiling timidly at the ground as his cheeks painted a nice shade of pink and completely not catching Tony’s mood change. “It’s actually pretty nice to meet other people like you.”

Oh.  _ Oh. _

Tony relaxed, the angry knot in the pit of his stomach loosened gradually. He scratched the back of his head, embarrassment filling him up from bottom to top. 

_ “Sorry,” _ he mouthed while he circled his fist in front of his chest.

Steve shook his head and shrugged. Tony felt his heart drumming loudly inside his chest just as strongly as the first time Steve and Bucky understood his signing.

“No problem, I get that,” he smiled, “we get overprotective over our friends sometimes, right?” 

Tony nodded, but felt like this wasn’t enough explanation, so he scribbled on the notepad.

_ “I’m also tired of people bad mouthing us from liking more than one person at a time.” _

Steve’s gaze shot up from the pages to his face almost instantly. 

“You mean you’re poly too?” he barely contained the turmoil from his voice.

He tensed, feeling too exposed all of a sudden, but nodded anyways.

“That’s-- That’s great Tony.” Steve’s smile grew wider. He looked down at Monica, who had successfully changed her shirt while they talked and was now putting on her coat and patted her gently on the head. “I don’t want to take too much of your time, since I also have to get going myself, but have fun eating ice cream, Monica.” his eyes gleamed when Monica beamed in answer. “You too, Tony. See you later.”

He winked before leaving with a skip to his steps.

_ Winked. _

Tony’s whole brain short circuited.

-

Redhead, but not the same strawberry blond as Pepper. She sat a few tables away from them, her gaze anything but discreet. Bucky’s skin crawled in agony as those sharp eyes seemed to pin him down. She had her arms crossed and her pose expressed danger.

Bucky took a sip of his green tea and stared back, making sure his face was matching her stoic one, and waited her to make the next move.

She squinted and her face contorted grimly. .

He let out a hiss when Steve’s bony elbow nudged him on the ribs. His boyfriend was looking at him with a disappointed scowl.

“Don’t stare.” 

“Why not? She started it.” he lifted his index finger at her but Steve promptly snatched it down.

“You’re better than this.” he murmured curtly. Bucky huffed but didn’t protest.

For one he was glad Steve was there to stop him. Last thing he needed was to pick up a fight in their new favorite place, in front of their new crush. 

When he looked up again, Tony was right by her side. The woman smirked at Tony, a completely different person from thirty seconds ago. She was unusually intimate with Tony,  _ too  _ intimate. Whenever she wasn’t signing, she found a way to touch him, or get closer to him, make him smile, make him look carefree. She even tucked her red locks behind her ear at some point, exposing her hearing aid.

He tensed up, feeling his stomach boil. Bucky shouldn’t be feeling jealous, he knew that. Tony wasn’t his, might never want to date him. But seeing someone else make him smile and look happy made him feel helpless.

Tony patted and squeezed her shoulder before walking from her table to theirs, with an empty tray to pick the used plates.

“Who is she?” Steve asked, beating him up to it.

Tony pointed at the red head, who was now immersed in a book and Steve nodded.

_ “Natasha, Pepper’s wife.” _ he wrote down,  _ “I’ve met her when I taught ASL for older newly deaf or mute people. She was a great student, and became a really close friend.” _

Steve hummed in comprehension.

“That doesn’t explain why she stared at us as if she was ready to commit murder.” Bucky interjected.

Tony looked at him wide-eyed and all the blood of his cheeks seemed to leave him. A moment later it came rushing back, and Tony’s face became a new tone of red.

_ “She’s overprotective sometimes.” _

“About what?”

Tony was slow to give his answer. He scribbled and scratched whatever he’d written again and again, until he was satisfied with his answer.

_ “Her friends.” _ was all they could read from the scrabbled page.

-

_ “Why do you have to be like that with everyone I try to get close?”  _ He turned to Nat as soon as the door clicked closed behind Steve and Bucky. 

_ “You know the answer.” _ she rolled her eyes. Her hands flew between them graciously yet coldly as she signed,  _ “or do you need me to explain it to you?” _

Blood rushed to his face in angry waves.  _ “Of course not! I didn’t  _ forget  _ what happened.” _

_ “So I hope you can understand why I do what I do.” _ Her posture stayed unmoving, but Tony saw a hint of sadness flashing over her expression.

He slumped his shoulders and ran a tired hand over his face.

_ “Of course I know. And I really appreciate it,” _ he admitted.  _ “I’m sorry.” _

Nat shook her head, red hair flapping everywhere in what looked like a burst of fire. She hugged him, sure and firm.

“Don’t worry,” she said out loud, a little too loud and slow. Hearing Nat’s voice was rare, Tony always felt special when she spoke near him. “I’m sure you would do the same for me.”

_ “I would,” _ he signed promptly. This was them. They protected each other, they made sure they were in good company for their own sakes. Tony knew Nat had been through a lot of shit before meeting him, even if she didn’t talk about it.

She didn’t need to tell him what had happened that got her deaf in one ear for Tony to know it was bad. He saw the scars. That had been enough.

He squeezed her shoulders and kissed the top of her hair. 

_ “And to be completely fair, I like the two of them.” _

Tony’s eyes grew wider.

_ “You do?” _

_ “Yeah, I loved how defiant the black haired looked. And the blond? A cutie.” _

Tony smiled and hugged her again, whirling them around contently.

_ “Though if they ever even think of hurting you, you can consider them done.” _

Tony felt so giggly at that moment not even her treat spoiled his mood.

_ “Thank you.” _

-

That night, as Tony waltzed his way home with happy step on his feet, something caught the corner of his eye. 

Well-- not something, but someone. Tony froze, his heart stuck in his throat.

It was for just one fleeting moment, not more than that, but he saw that sandy long hair, and he knew.

He knew.

Tony ran home. He didn’t look over his shoulders, he didn’t want to be right.

He was glad Rhodey was home when he closed the door behind him, locking all the pins just to be sure.

“What’s wrong?” Rhodey asked, already off the couch and hovering over him worriedly, looking him up and down.

Tony caught his breath, or tried to. His heart was beating too fast, his vision was going blur. He shook his hands and Rhodey understood, quickly getting his friend a cup of water.

Rhodey maneuvered Tony’s shaky and weak body to a chair in the living room and gave him the water, which Tony held on like his life depended on it.

“Deep breaths,” his friend reminded calmly.

Tony nodded a couple of times and did as he was told. The first tries were too shaky, his vision going black, but the more he repeated the act, the calmer he felt.

It also helped having Rhodey crouching down next to him and caressing his knees in soothing motions.

He finally drank his water, feeling ok enough to look his friend in the eyes and with--still-- trembling fingers, he signed.

_ “He’s back.” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh noooo who did Tony see? Poor lil boy. Someone give him a hug. ,':3  
See you guys next week! <3


	4. Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are once again!! <3 Thanks for the patience.  
Again, thank you so much for the kudos and comments, they really make my day :') I love you guys.  
I wanna thank Swisstea for betaing and helping me with this chapter <3 and all the stuckony discord group for the support and love! you guys are amazing!  
Im also creating a Hug Tony till He Gets Happy Squad, who's with me.  
I also updated the tags! hurray!  
Hope you enjoy!! <3

Tony hated this.

He added milk in the mocaccino order, cursing mentally when some of the milk spilled into the counter. Again.

Like he hadn’t spilled enough liquids already in the past two days. Or broken enough plates.

He didn’t know how Fury hadn’t fired him yet.

Tony sighed and cleaned his mess before taking the order to the table, bypassing some customers waiting for their tables. To top it all, Saturdays were always busy, especially since the weather was getting colder. First snow fell last night and everyone loved a good cup of hot chocolate and a piece of warm pie to go with the season.

His skin crawled uncomfortably.The feeling that he was being watched didn’t help. 

Didn’t help at all. 

Of course, it was dumb, he was in a packed bakery and was one of the three wait staff, so that made sense. But it was a sick feeling, one he couldn’t brush off since the night he ran home from the shop.

Fuck Tiberius Stone, fuck that son of a bitch.

He managed to quell the feeling of someone's eyes boring into the back of his neck when Bucky and Steve walked in, their smiles radiating a warmth that had Tony relaxing and focusing solely on them. Tony took their order, made some small talk, served them, and if the store hadn’t been bursting with people, he would have stayed longer to admire their faces as they ate, the sounds they made while enjoying themselves, hearing them chat about nothing in particular… 

He would like that. But duty called.

He cleared away from the table just in time to catch a glimpse of those hideous aviator glasses as the owner walked right in front of the store. He felt his throat closing up and the world freeze around him. He had been right, Tiberius was indeed back.

Fuck. He thought they had driven the man away with all the threats Nat and Rhodey made together. Tony steadied himself before his legs felt too weak.

He blinked rapidly, hoping to God his eyes didn’t fill up with tears. When he looked again, Tiberius wasn’t there anymore. A momentary relief.

A hand wrapped around his wrist, not forcefully but enough to make his breath hitch. He flinched and pulled his hand back fast, recoiling from the touch. He looked up, expecting to see Tiberius’ disappointed stare, but instead he was face to face with Steve, who was looking at him with eyes wide and brows knitted together. Steve withdrew his hand slowly, not moving otherwise, letting Tony know that with every movement, it was getting away from him.

“I’m sorry for startling you.” Steve faltered, blinking at Tony worriedly. “Is everything okay?”

He considered shaking his hand, writing down all that was threatening to leave his chest. Would Steve and Bucky understand? Would they try to help him? Tony wanted them to hug him, itched to feel their hands caressing him protectively.

Yet, he didn’t. 

He nodded, and shoot for a smile, even if it came out more of a grimace than a reassuring grin. Steve still wasn’t convinced, he still had a frown--even his frown was cute--in place, so Tony wrote quickly, his strokes messy to hide his trembling fingers:

_ “I’m fine! I just need to go to the service room for a bit.” _

He wrote in the most professional way. They didn’t need to know he was on the verge of a panic attack, and that Steve’s grip only worsened it. They didn’t know anything, it wasn’t their fault. Still, panic rose from the bottom of his chest and into his throat in a knot. He just needed to get out of there, and quick.

“Okay, if you need anything, just say the word.” Steve answered. Even Bucky had now raised from his seat and inspected him carefully.

Tony nodded and retreated quickly, locking the door behind him carelessly. Bruce and Pepper could take care of business for the next half hour or so. He just needed to recompose himself.

He was sure it would all be okay later.

-

It wasn’t.

After he recomposed, Pepper found him sitting on the ground near the service room’s door. She had to unlock it with her spare key, but Tony didn’t mind having his space invaded my Peps. Her eyes were a mix of stormy anger and fiercy protection, a look only reserved to when things involved Ty.

She sat next to him, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. They both stared at the ugly green moss walls of the service room in silence. There was a dark brown couch next to them, but neither felt like sitting on it. The ground felt more appropriate.

_ “Steve and Bucky?” _ Tony asked, breaking the silence.

“Left already.” His gaze dropped to the floor. “They told me you were a little pale on the edges and acting strange, asked me to check up on you.” Despite it all, Tony smiled.

_ “That’s sweet of them.” _

“It really is.” She hugged him closer. “Rhodey told me about last night, Tony.” He gulped, letting a quiet shiver run over him.

_ “I know.” _ His hands still felt numb.

“You should have stayed home today,” She continued, voice growing soft.

He shook his head.  _ “Saturday is all hands on deck.” _

Pepper let out a derisive snort. “Like Fury would have forced you to stay.” She wrapped their fingers and squeezed his hand tightly. “I would have covered you.”

_ “I know.” _

She kissed his forehead and silence fell once more.

-

It took Tony a lot of convincing on his part for Pepper let him have his lunch break in the park alone. He’d always done that, and he isn’t going to stop now just because Tiberius showed up once or twice in his line of sight.

He munched determinedly on his chicken sandwich and sighed at the beautiful view in front of him. The trees were all covered with a light layer of snow, just the right amount to give them a nice outline. Most of them still had a few leaves clinging to their branches, so the deep orange was a gorgeous contrast to the white.

The cold temperature always relaxed him. It was all about the freezing, slow pace things took. And the white. How he loved the pure crystallized white vibe winter brought. Life became slower, quieter, simpler. Easier to follow, in a way.

He cleaned his mouth with a paper cloth after finishing his lunch and took a sip of his hot cocoa from his thermos. The drink warmed him as it went down his throat. 

To be truthful, Tony just needed a moment outside of the bakery to be alone with his thoughts. He loved Pepper, he really did, and he appreciated all her help and love. But sometimes you had to have a moment to yourself, to reflect.

And he was still coming down from what happened earlier in the bakery.

He didn’t mean to be so startled by Steve’s hand, in fact, he wanted Steve to hold him. But seeing Tiberius again after two years of happily knowing he was light years away turned his world upside down.

Most of the things that happened between them, he overcame. Still, some things were yet to be taken care of. Two years were not enough to heal completely.

Tony sighed again at the blue sky, closing his eyes and listening to the chirping of birds. He hoped whatever Tiberius was up to, that it had nothing to do with him, and that the bastard would disappear from his life again, like they had agreed on.

A strong, familiar smell of cheap perfume hit his nose unexpectedly and everything Tony just ingested threatened to spill out. His eyes prickled with the strong smell, and the bad memories hit him like a trainwreck.

When he managed to open his eyes again, Tiberius and his smelly cologne were nowhere to be seen.

_ Fuck. _

-

Tony was angry.

At Tiberius, who seemed to know where Tony would be at all times and instead of coming clean and talk with him like a normal person, he continued to sneak onto his vision whenever Tony had his guard down. Tony would prefer to talk it out a thousand times--even if that meant being face to face for more than thirty seconds with the bastard--than whatever it was Tiberius was doing.

And at himself, because, for some goddamn reason, Tiberius got under his skin every time. There hadn’t been one incident where in Tony didn’t feel like throwing up, or feel his skin crawling in agony. It’d been years, but the emotions rushed back as if it was yesterday.

Not even Monica’s school was a safe space anymore. 

He’d been leaning against Bucky’s classroom door and chatting with the man while keeping an eye on Monica, who seemed to be making plans for the weekend with a few classmates. He drank in everything Bucky said, savoring the taste of his voice and the little quirks his face made whenever Tony snarked back with an ironic come back.

Tony was sure everyone could see the heart eyes aimed at Bucky. He wasn’t subtle.

“Say…” Bucky straightened his back and cleared his throat. Tony blinked, a little thrown off by Bucky’s change of posture. One minute he was tall and confident and the other a blushing teenager. It was cute. “When’s your next day off?”

Tony considered before writing down.  _ “I have tomorrow afternoon free. Why?” _

“Oh, great!” Bucky exclaimed, clearly excited for some reason. “So, Steve and I were wondering if you wanted to grab a coffee with us or something. Well-- maybe not a coffee, since, you know. But maybe go out for a walk? Or if you don’t like walking, I guess we could go watch a movie or something--” Bucky blushed and grimaced, cutting his rambling before it went on forever.

Tony smiled amusedly and squeezed Bucky’s right biceps reassuringly. He nodded in response.

Tony would love going out with them very much. He couldn’t believe Bucky actually asked him out. His heart beat faster with excitement, almost threatening to escape his chest.

“Y-you want?” Bucky asked, sounding surprised. Tony snorted and nodded again. His hand sneaked low until it found Bucky’s. He interlaced their fingers and mouthed ‘I want’ eagerly.

Bucky smiled brightly and looked down at their connected hands before squeezing it and lifting them to pepper Tony’s fingers with sweet kisses, all the while maintaining eye contact with him. Tony’s heart almost gave out.

“We’ll see you tomorrow at lunch time, then. Ah! We also want to show you something we’ve been practicing.” He let go of Tony’s hand, grinning, and gave him one hot wink before turning around and waltzing down the corridor. He left Tony alone, hot and bothered, but with a promise for a lot more.

Monica tugged at his hand, snapping him out of his trance, and led him through the crowd of students and parents towards the exit, bouncing happily on her feet.

Tony was so giddy, he couldn’t wait to tell Pepper. And maybe Rhodey could help him with his outfit. God, it’s been so long since he last went on a date, he didn’t know what to expect. Except he knew Steve and Bucky were a great company, so he didn’t have to worry too much.

Tony accidentally bumped into someone’s shoulder. He had been so distracted he lost track of the flow around him.

“Sorry.” the person said in a deep, familiar smug voice. Tony shivered sickly at the mocking tone as he turned around and saw Tiberius’ huge back walking away from them.

His shoulder throbbed for the rest of the day.

-

“Okay, let’s practice one last time.” Steve said energetically. He hustled, jumping in place like he was getting ready to run a marathon. Bucky snorted, receiving a scowl in answer. Bucky was never as nervous, so he didn’t get it. 

His boyfriend was sprawled out in one of the benches that faced the lake while Steve paced in front of him. Thankfully, it hadn’t snowed since that first time last week, so all the ice had melted already, and the grass and trees were orange once more. Even the birds decided to celebrate this weather truce by flying happily over the lake.

“Babe, you know what you’re saying since yesterday night. You’ve been practicing in your sleep.” Bucky rolled his eyes.

“Yes, but what if I get one of the signs wrong?” he stated, “What if he doesn’t understand what I say?”

Bucky sighed and sat straighter. 

“Okay, shoot. I’ll do my part too.”

Steve closed his eyes, concentrating, and took one last long breath before he raised steady his hands, ready to sign.

_ “Tony, would you like to go out with us?” _ he started.

_ “We really like you.” _ Bucky continued, a little slow since he wasn’t used to move his prosthetic fingers like that.

_ “And we think you would like that too.” _ Steve could feel his face heating up. Why on Earth was he so easily embarrassed.

“That was excellent, babe, you didn’t even shake too much!” Bucky applauded, and this time Steve was the one to snort. “I’m serious, I think this is going to work.”

“You really think so?” he asked, hopefully. The wind rushed through them messing Steve’s previously styled hair. He tsked indignantly and tried to comb it back into place. Bucky chuckled at his fruitless attempts and stood from the bench.

“Yes. I do believe. You should have seen his face yesterday. Today is going to be a blast.” he shoved his hands into his pockets and shivered. “We’re better get going, it’s almost time for his break.”

Steve nodded, gulping nervously. He held on Bucky’s hand like his life depended on it.

“Let’s go then.”

They walked mostly in silence, going over their route for the afternoon, and if everything went right, maybe in the end they could hug Tony, or kiss him. Or even better…

Steve let out a needy sigh, face blushing wildly almost instantly. His mouth watered with the idea of getting Tony naked and under him, face and chest flushed as he whimpered for more while Steve sucked his entire length.

“Look out.” Bucky warned, but a moment too late. Steve accidentally bumped into someone, and apparently, it was strong enough the person fell on the ground. The man left a painful groaned as he fell ass down.

Steve immediately was over him, helping him up. “I’m so sorry, oh my God, I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going.”

“It’s okay. Accidents happen.” he smiled disarmingly, but something about it rubbed wrong in Steve’s gut. “Thanks for helping, sweet thing.” The man adjusted his sandy long locks and brushed the dust out of his white suit.

“No problem.” Steve shook his head and continued neutral, ignoring the wink the man shot him and the pet name, “And again, I was a little distracted, sorry for bumping into you...” 

“Tiberius.” he extended a hand, “Nice to meet you.”

Bucky stepped in protectively and shook the man’s hand before Steve could. Tiberius hissed silently at Bucky’s strong grip, to which Steve had to hide a snort.

“I’m Bucky. Little strong fella here is Steve.” he said, “I’ve gotta say, ‘never seen him taking anyone down before, that is, never accidentally.” Bucky threw a lazy arm around Steve’s shoulders, smiling wolfishly, “And never alone.” 

The man blinked at them as his flat smile faltered.

“That’s… that’s great!” Tiberius said, “I also wasn’t looking where I was going to be honest with you. And I’m very weak. Even a windblow can take me down.” he chuckled.

That sounded fake to his ears, but Steve didn’t know the man enough to judge. He nodded politely to the man and squeezed Bucky’s fingers over his shoulder with his own.

“I’m glad you’re okay, but if you’ll excuse us, we better get on our way.” the invisible clock ticking down the seconds till they got to the bakery was getting him nervous.

They’d just took one step to the side when Tiberius bothered them again.

“Actually, are you going that way? Do you mind if I join?” Steve frowned, but before he could kindly turn him down, the man continued, “There’s a bakery just a block away, I was hoping to meet an old friend of mine today…”

“You mean Star Cake?” Bucky asked, pulling Steve closer to him as the man started walking with them.

“Yes!” he sounded too enthusiastic. “By chance… do you know Tony? Tony Stark?”

“We do.” Steve said curtly, wondering how on Earth Tony became friends with someone so… fake? 

“Well, it’s been years since I last saw him. So I’m going to make it a surprise, I think he’ll like it.” The smile on the man’s face at least wasn’t false.

Steve pondered while they walked the last few meters in silence, looking at the old style roofs from the houses around them. Maybe they’ve gotten a wrong first impression of Tiberius. If he was indeed Tony’s friend, he couldn’t be a bad person, Tony only attracted the most kind and gentle souls.

Maybe this had been a happy accident.

But something went completely wrong when they opened the glass door to their favorite place, laughing politely at some mindless joke Tiberius made. The moment they stepped inside, the room echoed with the sound of china breaking on the floor. 

Steve followed the sound with his eyes and frowned to see it had been Tony.

Tony, the most careful person he’s ever met.

Tony, who would normally be fretting over the broken pieces of the porcelain nervously and apologizing for breaking it.

Tony, who had his eyes filled with tears as he shook his head frighteningly, trying to make himself smaller while frozen in place, looking not at Steve, nor Bucky, but at the man behind them.

At Tiberius.

In a blink of an eye, Tony unfroze from his position and ran to the backroom. The door slammed shut behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ops. Oh no. Poor babi.  
See you next Friday!  
You can find me on tumblr [sparkly-angell](https://sparkly-angell.tumblr.com/) and here [pinkgold-angel](https://pinkgold-angel.tumblr.com/) (there's nothing there yet, but it's going to be my writing blog hehe)


	5. Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> !!!!!! Idk about you guys, but I'm excited to post this chapter!! Couldn't wait till tomorrow to post it, so tonight it is!  
And we're also coming to the end! (how bittersweet), but all stories one day end and I'm so so so grateful yall walked throught this jorney with me <3 (i swear all your comments still make me emotional!! :') )  
So here we go! Enjoy <3  
Warning!!! Tony is pretty shaken up in this chapter, so look out.

The room was silent. No one dared make a noise, ears still ringing with the sound of the door slamming shut. Even the coffee maker had gone still, as if sensing the tension in the room.

Bucky didn’t move, yet his eyes traveled from Natasha, who was still as ice, to Pepper, staring at the closed door, her eyes wide. The atmosphere got tenser by the second. Everyone was worried about Tony’s well being, since no sound was coming from inside the room.

An almost silent sob came from the closed door and suddenly things started moving again.

Pepper jump off the counter frantically and strode quickly to where Natasha was sitting. She ruffled her wife’s purse until she found a phone.

“I’m calling James.” her voice sounded stern, with a twinge of worry blended into it.

Natasha nodded and blinked at the three men standing in the doorway. Her eyes suddenly filled with cold, sharp rage and she stood from her chair, walking deadly towards them.

“You three. Out. Now.” her frigid voice left no room for discussion, yet Bucky held her gaze for over a few seconds before Steve nudged him nervously on the elbow. Bucky nodded at her, because even though all he wanted to do was stay by Tony’s side and check if he was okay, he trusted Tony’s friend’s judgement. If Natasha thought it was best for them to go, they would.

She nodded back at him in acknowledge, and with that, they left.

Bucky was still feeling numb and dazed when, while walking down the street and back to their parked car, Tiberius burst out in a hysterical laugh. Bucky blinked, he’d forgotten the man had been with them. Hell, he’d forgotten most of his surroundings after seeing the look of pure horror on Tony’s face.

“You guys,” Tiberius wheezed through his laughter, his shoulders shaking incessantly, “his face! This was priceless. _ Priceless!” _he bent over, hands on his belly.

Steve and Bucky stared at the man while he had his laughing fit, saw it dimming into a small set of giggles as the man cleaned his eyes. They exchanged confused glances, and Bucky felt a twinge of anger growing in the pit of his stomach.

“What?” Steve asked, voice dimming with quiet horror, as he started to understand.

“You guys have no idea who I am, right?” Tiberius looked from one to another, searching for some kind of recognition. He shrugged and continued when he found none. “I’m Tony’s boyfriend. Well-- ex-boyfriend, but soon to be boyfriend again.”

Bucky didn’t need to know more of this story to know Tony didn’t want anything to do with this crazy dude.

“I don’t think he wants you around.” Steve said, holding onto the last threads of patience he possessed, by the looks of it.

Tiberius clicked his mouth and shook his head.

“Nope, it’s not like that with_ us.” _ Even though the guy sounded out of his mind, Bucky still felt a pang of jealousy. “Tony always comes back to me. It’s how we function.”

Steve frowned and crossed his arms.

“It doesn’t sound healthy.” 

“Not like you know anything about our relationship.” he snapped back.

“We know enough to know you should stay away from him.” Bucky retorted, barking his words out.

“So what? You think you can steal him from me?” Tiberius huffed, “I already told him that polygamy wasn’t his thing.”

“Tony’s not a prize to be own by anyone. It’s up to him to decide who he’s with.” Steve hands close into fists at his sides.

“You’re wrong. Tony’s mine. There is no one in this world that can make him react the way I do. It’s simple. It means he’s meant to be mine.” Tiberius cocked his head to the side, his expression nonchalant, looking as though he was explaining the most obvious thing in the world.

“No, you fucking psychopath. It means you need to stay away from him.” Bucky scowled.

Tiberius had the nerve to grin sickly at them. He sneered, nose turning up. His shoulders rolled back in an act of superiority.

“Make me.”

And that made Bucky lose it. He’d never been more thankful for his titanium prosthetic arm than he was at that moment. The punch he landed on the jerk’s face felt heavy on his fisted hand, and it was so. Very. Satisfying.

It struck with a loud metallic thud and Tiberius grunted feebly as he-- for the second time in the same day-- fell ass down onto the floor. But this time, it sure as hell wasn’t an act. Bucky made sure he felt the punch.

“Don’t you _ ever _dare coming close to Tony again, you hear?” Bucky growled, “Next time I won’t give you a warning punch.” 

He took pleasure seeing Tiberius’ eyes widening at the threat. The man’s limbs moved syrupy slow, his movements hindered by the force of the punch that had evidently rattled him to the core as he staggered to get on his feet and running away. Bucky faked lunging forward and smirked predatorily when Tiberius stumbled, falling on the ground again before running for his life and disappearing from their sight after turning a corner once and for all.

When he looked back at Steve, instead of the enraged expression he’d been sure Steve would give him, Bucky saw his familiar post-fight tired face. He smiled wanly at Bucky, but soon his expression slowly morphed into something sadder, something full of guilt.

“We fucked up.”

-

Tony took a shallow breath, gasping in pain as his chest burned and constricted. What. What.

_ What? _

The tracks of tears on his cheeks hardly having dried before a fresh wave submerged him, choking his sobs as they petered out into soft gasps.

Tiberius had entered the bakery, even after promising that he would never set foot on it again. He had _ promised. _

And he couldn’t have forgotten it, Tony knew that much by the malicious glint in his eyes. The fucker knew what he was doing.

And he had walked side by side with Steve and Bucky. And they had been laughing.

_ Laughing. _

His body surged forward again, gagging over the toilet. His fingers scrambled for purchase in the cold white porcelain, knuckles growing rigid.

Tiberius probably told them how easily he had played Tony. So easy. Probably told them how many times he did it as well.

His breath hitched and he closed his eyes, not bothering to hold back the flow of tears.

Fuck that sick bastard.

He doesn’t remember how he got home. Everything after he locked himself in the backroom in the bakery became a blur. He has the distinctive memory of both Pepper and Rhodey helping him up from the smelly carpeted floor and into a warm car.

Tony also remembered not seeing either Bucky nor Steve after he emerged from the service room, and— thank god— Tiberius also seemed to have left.

Did they leave with Tiberius? Were they still laughing about his reaction?

_ Fuck fuck fuck. _

He made a fool of himself in front of them, now they would never want to be near him again. Stupid. Gosh, he was so stupid.

Just like Tiberius had said all those years ago.

_ “It’s hilarious seeing you act like a fool.” _

His fingers left the toilet sides and tightened the grip on his hair. The pull on the roots stung, but it grounded him.

A soft knock came from the bathroom door before it was cracked open slightly. Rhodey’s worried face appeared from the crack, evaluating Tony’s state before nudging his way into the room. The door closed behind him with a click and he sank down next to Tony.

“Hey, hey, breathe, Tony.” Rhodey’s voice sounded painfully constricted as he extricated Tony’s hands from his hair gently, so very carefully, to not to hurt his friend. Tony shook imperceptibly as Rhodey squeezed his hands softly, a signature move of when Rhodey feels anxious. Tony didn’t dare ask for more, but that touch made him crave for a hug, even if he didn’t deserve one.

Maybe it was because of all the years they’ve known each other, maybe it was written all over his face, but Rhodey hummed and moved Tony’s smaller body until he was sitting in his lap, wrapped in the warmth and calmness Rhodey exhaled. He pressed his lips against Tony’s forehead and caressed his back, soothing some of the burn Tony felt pressing in on his chest.

_ “I fucked up.” _ his hands trembled, but he managed to sign.

The arms around him tightened.

“You did nothing wrong, Tony.” Rhodey mumbled over his hair. “Everything’s going to be okay.”

Tony almost snorted, but held back before it could leave his lips.

_ Yeah, right. _

-

Next morning didn’t bring them anything promising. 

Steve and Bucky almost left their apartment without an umbrella, but, lucky for them, the first raindrops started to fall as soon as they stepped out. Steve waited downstairs as Bucky made a quick run to grab the umbrella. The rain wasn’t enough to get them drenched, but you never know when it will start to pour.

And it did.

Even with the umbrella, Steve still walked in the bakery soaking wet, and so much more tired than the short walk to the bakery should have afforded. He should take his coat off before he started sneezing. As they looked around the bakery, it was easy to figure out why the tables were empty. The rain, the cold, and most of all, the sour atmosphere in the air.

Steve’s eyes caught Pepper’s from the other side of the counter. She frowned.

“What do you want?” her voice was icy, causing Steve to flinch. He’d never heard her snap at anyone, not in that manner. 

They were in real deep shit.

“Is Tony around?” Bucky was brave enough to ask a question that Steve could barely begin to form around his blue-tinged lips. 

“What do you think?” she crossed her arms and took an unwavering stance. 

They knew that if Tony was prudent, he wouldn’t be at work, but they didn’t know where else they could go to try and fix whatever happened. So Steve shook his head, not meeting her eyes.

“What is it that you want from him?” she demanded, and he snapped his head up.

“Nothing.” Bucky said.

“Nothing.” she mock-parroted.

“I mean, we really like him, we like his company. We would like to take things forward, but that’s up to him to decide.” Bucky rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

“Something doesn’t make sense.” Pepper narrowed her eyes, clearly still not trusting them.

“What?”

“Why the _ fuck _were you two with Tiberius yesterday if not to mock Tony?”

Steve’s heart squeezed painfully. He wanted to collapse on a chair and beg until Pepper understood, wanted to ask forgiveness for being stupid and trusting a complete stranger.

But he couldn’t. He stood next to Bucky, his shoulders hunched, standing his ground. He wasn’t a coward, he knew that, but even to think that he hurt Tony was enough to send chills down his spine. Pepper was right to glare at them.

“We didn’t know him.” he dared to say. “We bumped into him and he told us he was Tony’s friend.”

“Bullshit.” she spat.

“It’s true,” Bucky backed him up. “The jerk came from nowhere, bumped into Steve and followed us here. Said he was Tony’s friend, made Tony look as though he’d seen a ghost and then had the audacity to laugh about it later._ Laugh.” _ Bucky said, trembling with anger as he let out a breath, his nostrils flared.

Steve flinched, remembering the man’s words from yesterday.

“He also said something about being Tony’s ex and that Tony was his, and that he wouldn’t give him to anyone.” Steve scoffed, not happy in the slightest. “Bucky punched him, then. Left a pretty bruise on his cheek.”

“Hope it never heals.” Bucky muttered.

The room fell into silence after that. Steve and Bucky waited awkwardly by the door as Pepper seized them up, and recognized the truth in their words. Steve finally met her gaze, feeling confident enough to do so once more.

She let a long deep breath and made a beeline to sit at the table closer to the counter.

“I believe you.” she said, rubbing her temple tiredly. “But I need you guys to know, Tiberius is a sour spot for Tony. The most painful one too.”

Steve hesitantly took one of the chairs and sat down, Bucky following suit. They waited patiently until Pepper gathered the right words.

“Tiberius is Tony’s living trauma.” she eventually said. Steve held his breath. “He’s a stalker and a mental abuser and he really did a number on Tony.”

He froze. What did he just hear? He clenched his jaw and his shoulders tensed, trying to hold in his rage. Steve saw Bucky’s hands turning into fists, trembling with the force of his anger.

Suddenly Bucky’s punch felt inadequate.

No. They should have done more to scare him away forever. A man like him shouldn’t be out and about, shouldn’t be near Tony at all. 

They should have done worse.

But now, Steve breathed out, set, they should focus on the matter at hand.

“Where can we find Tony?” Steve asked.

-

“Tony, please, open the door. We need to talk.” Bucky pleaded as he laid a flat palm against the wooden door. He spared a glance to look over at Steve when no movement came from the other side. Steve’s eyes were wide and full of raw emotions and Bucky felt guilty for the sadness in them, but there was nothing he could do.

“Please.” Steve joined him, sounding tired and with a hint of resignment.

They’ve already spent the last half hour standing in the corridor. The brick walls and chilly breeze were slowly freezing them to the bones. But maybe is what they deserved for upsetting Tony.

Steve sniffed and Bucky instinctively brought him closer. Anytime now his rhinitis would start and he wouldn’t stop sneezing until they got him someplace warm, which meant, they couldn’t stay much longer.

“Steve…” something changed in Steve’s posture the moment Bucky said his name.

“No, Bucky, I know I might catch a cold, I know you’re going to say that.” Steve disentangled just enough from Bucky for him to see Steve’s frown. “But I’d rather get a thousand colds than let Tony cry by himself because of something we did.”

His voice and eyes shone a stormy determination that reflected right back at Bucky’s own. Seriously, he didn’t know how someone so small could fit all that fiercy tenacity inside. But it gave him strength, always has and always will.

His chest burned with newfound passion. He nodded.

“That’s why I love you.”

Before Steve could open his mouth to answer, the door unlocked. They held their breaths, looking surprised at each other. A stoic man opened the door slowly, his black eyes scanned them up and down until his mouth fell into a small frown. For the dark skin and mature posture, this man could only be Rhodey, if Tony’s descriptions of his best friend were accurate.

Rhodey hummed to himself and stepped away, giving them passage into the apartment.

They hesitated.

“Well, what are you waiting for?” he scolded, “He’s in his room. On the right. Go on.”

The hesitation that had grabbed them for a split second vanished, and after thanking Rhodey, they sprinted through the apartment and came to a stop on Tony's door. Bucky raised a hand to knock, encouraged by Steve's determined nod.

It opened after the second knock, yet the damage in there looked harder to salvage.

Bucky felt it like a punch to his gut. He’d never seen anyone looking more devastated and hollow in his life. And that was coming from someone who lost an arm during his time in the army. Tony was pale, paler than he’d been yesterday in the bakery. He had huge dark circles under his eyes, which in turn were wide, yet never leaving the comfort of the wooden floor.

His shoulders were tense, and it looked like the only thing supporting him up was his feeble grip on the doorknob. Bucky feared that one strong breeze would be enough to knock him out. He looked smaller than he actually was, and Bucky wanted to slap himself for making Tony feel he needed to hide.

Tony managed to move his trembling hand between them, and after hesitating for a beat, he signed. 

_ “I’m sorry.” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tonyyyyyyy noooo. *gathers him and wraps him on my lap*  
You can always scream at me at my tumblr [here](https://sparkly-angell.tumblr.com/)  
Until next week!! <3


	6. Six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So.... here we are *sighs*  
I promised myself I wouldn't cry but this is a lot for me ok? I have problems dealing with my selfesteem and my writing skills and the plot and everything. So it means a LOT that this has been as welcomed as it has been. Really, i don't know what I would have done without your support, comments or kudos or otherwise. I really really hope you guys liked reading this, that you saw in this a nice escape to smile at stupid fictional characters. Thank you so much for reading and leaving a kudo or comment <3 I love you guys.  
Also thanks for Swisstea, BuckyBear and LadyJane for helping me shape this into something readable hahah <3 you guys are the best.

“Sorry?” Steve asked as the door closed behind them. Tony failed not to flinch at his words. 

Steve was right, sorry wouldn’t solve anything. He closed his eyes and tensed, bracing himself for the laugh he knew was coming.

“Why would you say sorry?” Bucky’s voice was soft, not hiding the worry the felt.

Tony looked up, and for the first time since they got in his room, looked at them in the eyes. ‘Taken aback’ was not how he would describe how he felt while looking at them, no, he was absolutely startled.

They looked concerned, worried. Bucky was fidgeting with the hem of his shirt with one hand while holding Steve’s with his metal one for support. Meanwhile, Steve seemed strong, in control of himself, but Tony saw the shadow of distress hung over his frail body.

It hit him then, like fog clearing from a forest, everything becoming visible and clear. Bucky and Steve weren’t here to mock him. There was nothing in this situation that they found funny.

He keeps forgetting not everyone is Tiberius Stone, that some people really only meant good.

His face contorted from pained to relieved in a matter of seconds. A new wave of tears overwhelmed him, yet he let them flow, knowing it healed. He patted his pockets, searching for the notepad he never took out from his trousers.

_ “You don’t hate me.” _ he scribbled and hastily showed them. Tony tensed as two sets of eyes frowned at the paper before focusing on him.

“Of course we don’t hate you, Tony.” Steve promptly said, eyes going wide in shock.

“Why would you think that?” Bucky asked, stepping forward but quickly getting a hold of himself and stopping before he took Tony’s space away. “We would never hate you, it’s just the opposite of it, that-- uh--” his face turned red as ran a hand through his hair, cutting him off mid sentence. Tony watched him stunned as he took a breath and recomposed, “We are here to apologize.”

Tony’s eyebrows shot up.

_ “You?” _ he signed.

“We didn’t know who the man was when he cornered us. We had no idea what he’d done. We’re sorry.” Steve explained, voice constricting on the edges.

“We also punched him, but I think he deserves more.” Bucky added, turning his metal hand into a fist.

_ “You _ punched _ him?” _ Tony scratched fast. This was all too unreal and good to be true, but he couldn’t help believing what they said.

How he wanted that to be true.

“Punched him right in his face with this beauty right here.” Bucky waved with his prosthetic arm.

Tony smiled and looked between them again, finally relaxing in their presence. They looked and sounded genuinely sorry, and Tony wanted nothing more than to hug them and tell all was good. He nodded and wrote, calmer this time.

_“It’s okay.. This wasn’t your fault, you guys didn’t know him.”_ He gave them an assuring smile. _“It’s Tiberius’ fault.”_

Even writing that name made him nauseous. Steve seemed to notice Tony’s disgust and cupped his smaller hand over Tony’s left cheek, stroking his thumb gently.

“He’s gone now, we’ll make sure he doesn’t get near you again.”

Tony squeezed his eyes, his mouth morphing into a dopey smile. How warm could them make him feel? It was unreal.

“There’s also something else we want to tell you— I mean, if you don’t mind, of course.” Tony snorted. Bucky looked so cute when he was embarrassed, a flush riding high on his cheeks, as he stumbled on his words. 

Tony nodded and watched contently as both men exchanged silent words between them. He loved seeing them interact, it always felt so natural, intrinsic even. They didn’t need words to understand each other. It was hard to attain, but something Tony always wanted.

“We wanted to show you yesterday, but, yeah, you know what happened.” Steve let out an awkward laugh, as if he was trying to soften what he’d just said. “Here we go.”

Tony held his breath the moment he saw Steve’s hands coming up, as he readied himself to sign. 

_ To sign for Tony. _

_ He learned for him. _

_ “Tony, would you like to go out with us?” _Steve signed gracefully. The act of signing almost shocked Tony as much as what he was signing.

He wanted to what? Tony’s jaw slacked as his heart threatened to burst out of his chest him.

_ “We really like you.” _ Bucky added, overwhelming Tony all over again.

_ “And we think you would like that, too.” _ Steve finished, laying his hands down by his sides again.

This couldn’t be real, Tony was sure. His body felt electrified by their words, ready to burst with excitement, yet he didn’t let himself believe completely. Instead, he carefully wrote.

_ “Is this true?” _

“Of course, Tony.” Bucky said, affection clear in his eyes as he interlaced his fingers with Tony’s own. “We wouldn’t joke about that. Ever.”

“We really want you.” He turned his attention to Steve, who took a few steps closer and was now crowding his space. Tony let him.

“You are sweet, smart, caring, funny, gorgeous, and oh _ so _ sexy.” Tony’s eyes started watering again at Bucky’s words, “I don’t know how the world haven’t fallen in love with you yet.”

“More for us.” Steve said, smiling cheekily. “That is, of course, only if you want--”

Tony silenced him with his lips, cutting off whatever anxiety ridden words Steve was saying to kiss him chastely. It took Steve a minute to understand what was happening, it seemed, and another one for him to reciprocate the kiss, but when he did, Tony never wanted it to stop.

It was perfect.

Bucky squeezed their fingers and closed the distance between them. Tony let go of the tension in his shoulders, relaxing completely as he felt the two of them close, just where he wanted them since forever.

Tony freed his hand from Bucky’s grip, darted it quickly over his body and let it rest on the back of his neck, fondling with the long silky locks he found there.

Steve broke the kiss and Tony didn’t even pause to take a proper breath before he tiptoed to capture Bucky’s lips. They moved in sync, while neither tried to deepen the kiss, it still felt sensual and intimate. Steve tucked on Tony’s free hand and peppered his fingers with doting kisses.

The affection they were showing him was almost unbearable. For someone like Tony, who had lived his whole life on scraps of love, this tenderness made his mind float in the headiness of this new development. He felt like fainting and submerging completely into their love.

He broke the kiss timidly and took a step back to gather himself.

_ “Yes.” _ he signed, looking from Bucky’s shining eyes to Steve’s, _ “I want.” _

Their smiles widened almost simultaneously.

“I mean, the kiss kinda gave it away, but it’s nice to hear it.” Bucky said, face beaming.

Steve rolled his eyes fondly and hugged Tony firmly, Bucky joined a beat after.

“I’m so glad you let us in.”

_ Me too, _ Tony thought.

-

“God, Steve, this is what we’ve been missing.” Bucky moaned out as Tony ran his hands over his naked torso. His hips bucked forward on their own, rubbing his bulge against Tony’s, who in turn shivered on top of him.

The night had been more than pleasant.

After they talked it out, Rhodey knocked on the door before carefully opened it to tell them dinner was ready. Judging by the cautious look on his face, Rhodey was probably afraid to barge in the middle of them getting the goods.

Dinner was delicious, even if Rhodey spent most of his time silent and narrowing his eyes at Steve and Bucky. Bucky couldn’t blame him, not even half an hour had gone by since they came to apologize.

To be honest, Bucky was happy to know Tony had a caring friend.

Still, his mood didn’t flatten. And neither did Tony’s, it seemed. He signed more than usual, and _ damn _ how he wished he could understand everything he said. Bucky silently exchanged looks with Steve, who nodded knowingly. They were getting themselves more intensive sign language classes, and soon.

Rhodey did corner them later, when they were helping the man with the dishes. Tony had said he needed a shower, and left them with Rhodes. He probably knew what his best friend was up to and wanted to let him have his moment. Bucky had no problem with it, because this way, they could also get to know the man better.

“You even _ think _ of hurting him, I’ll kill you.” His threat was ten times more scarier than it should have been because of the kitchen knife he held under the water.

Rhodey left a while later to Carol and Maria’s house, something to do with Monica wanting his help in a school project, or so he said.

Soon, with the thud of the door closing behind Rhodey, they had the house to themselves.

They ventured back to Tony’s room. Mainly to tell him Rhodey left, but also because Steve was growing worried. They spent over an hour helping with the dishes, and Tony still hadn’t shown up.

But as soon as he entered, Bucky understood why.

He had to hold back a surprised groan as he took in the image in front of him. Tony, in only his boxers, was lying down lazily with one hand resting behind his nape and the other inside his underwear, slowly working himself up. His body gleamed sensually, the sheen of the water droplets making his skin glow in the low light of the room.

Tony waved at them, smirk growing knowingly because he knew how this affected them. Steve gulped next to him.

“Fuck.”

And that’s how Bucky found himself saddled with an eager Tony cradling his hips. Steve had left their side to look for lube and condoms but soon joined them, throwing the packages beside them in bed.

“How are we doing this?” Steve asked, shrugging off his sweaters and t-shirts until they could finally get their eyes on the beautiful pale skin, tinted red from his blush.

Bucky held Tony’s hip in place with one hand and fondled his heavy cock over his grey boxers with his metal one, thinking how to answer Steve. His own cock twitched as Tony’s breath hitched a few times.

“I want you on your back, with Tony over you, while I fuck his brains out.”

Tony shivered relentlessly over him, and nodded his head eagerly a few times. Steve grunted in agreement and positioned himself in bed, anxiously waiting for the other two to join him.

Bucky grabbed the back of Tony’s head and pulled him for a kiss one last time, licking his lips hungrily until they opened and he could claim every inch of that mouth for himself. Tony groaned and let Bucky take control, moving his tongue in time with Bucky’s, letting him nibble and suck on his lips with only breathless moans in response.

Steve’s small hands sneaked in between them and stroked whatever skin it could touch. He tugged Bucky and Tony’s cocks together before focusing his attention solely on Tony’s. They moaned in unison, breaking the kiss to glance at Steve, who looked impatient and ready for action. Tony smirked, getting up from Bucky’s lap and helping Steve shuck his pants and boxers off while Steve did the same to him.

Tony latched his mouth over Steve’s pristine neck and sucked bruising marks on it, rumbling softly at the chorus of soft moans that escaped the smaller man’s throat. Bucky used this moment to sit back and enjoy the view of his two lovers (Yes, lovers!) taking pleasure in each other.

His gaze traveled as Steve’s fingers caressed Tony’s back, bit down on his lips as the brunet arched his back and rutted against Steve, and couldn’t help but stroke himself as Tony and Steve shared the most sensual kiss he had ever seen. He rolled a condom over his throbbing length, readying himself for the main course.

Bucky coated his fingers with lube and kneeled behind Tony, taking a quick moment to appreciate the view from another angle before he started. With his metal hand, he massaged Tony’s buttcheeks and spread one of them for better access. Tony instantly reacted, spreading his knees wider and positioning his ass up.

He licked his lips as he circled the hole gently before breaching it. The muscle there instantly contracted and Tony snapped his head over his shoulders to stare at it. His eyes, Bucky noticed, where glazing with lust as he looked from where Bucky had his fingers on, then to his face.

It was all the affirmation Bucky needed to add a second finger in. Steve’s eyes fluttered closed as Tony’s grip over his hair tightened. As soon as Bucky felt Tony was open enough, he started thrusting his fingers, and eventually scissoring them.

Tony let out a gasp, shoulders shaking with pleasure as Steve captured those already red lips again, devouring each gasp and moan for himself.

Soon, Bucky added a third finger, moving them faster, yet gently enough so that it didn’t hurt Tony. He arched his back and tightened around Bucky’s fingers as Bucky curled them right over Tony’s sensitive spot. He began moving his hips backwards for more friction, engulfing those long fingers all by himself.

Steve’s hand caught Bucky’s attention as it sneaked up in between of his and Tony’s bodies and started stroking them lazily. Tony shivered again, but this time he glanced back at Bucky with pleading eyes.

_ Please, fuck me, _ was written all over his face, and Bucky had to squeeze the base of his cock so he didn’t come right there and then. He nodded, not trusting his voice, and slowly took his fingers out from inside his ass.

He coated his dick with a thick layer of lube and positioned himself right over Tony’s entrance. Now with two hands free, he could stretch both cheeks apart, leaving the gaping hole wide and begging. With one last nod from Tony, Bucky pushed in.

Tony’s ass opened up slowly, but that’s to be expected: Bucky wasn’t small - on the contrary, Steve had taken a few tries to get used to his size. So he was mindful of his shallow thrusts as he tried to get all in.

When he looked up, he saw Steve mumbling sweet nothings over Tony’s messy hair, kissing it sweetly from time to time, while moving his hand in time with Bucky’s thrusts. Tony had his eyes shut, eyebrows shot up and his jaw slack as he breathed hard, completely lost in pleasure.

A few seconds later and Bucky was completely buried inside Tony. He grunted, pleasure sparking from the tight fit of Tony’s ass. He waited a few more seconds, so Tony could get completely used to his size, and only when Tony opened his eyes and bucked his hips backwards did Bucky start to move again.

“Relax, Tony.” Bucky heard Steve saying in a deep, affected voice. Tony nodded and did as told. “You are doing great, babe, Bucky will be so good, you don’t have to worry.”

Bucky rocked his hips back and forward in a sluggish pace and little by little, Tony relaxed and started moving in unison with Bucky’s pace.

“That’s it, Tony, just like that.” Steve’s voice was laced with pride and Tony almost purred in response.

He quickened his pace, hands holding Tony’s hips down, pressing right over Steve’s, humming to himself as Steve groaned at the new pressure. Tony arched his back once Bucky rammed straight into his prostate, breath quickening. Steve held Tony’s jaw gently.

“Just take it, let him have it all.” 

Tony caught Steve’s lips and kissed him roughly, letting all his pleasure seep into it. Bucky moaned, slamming harder into Tony as he watched them kiss. His fingers tightened over Tony’s hips as he repositioned himself, thighs coming closer to Tony’s so he could slam into his prostate.

The room filled with the sound of their breathing and the slick sound of his thrusts. Bucky could feel the warm orgasm pooling in his belly, his hips stuttering, failing to keep a rhythm, yet he persisted, powered only by the groans and moans of his lovers under him.

“I’m close.” he warned. He bent forward, resting his forehead at Tony’s shoulder as he moaned loudly, overtaken by his pleasure.

Bucky groaned as his orgasm hit him, Tony’s ass clamping around his cock, taking in Bucky’s last few shoves. He came with a few strong spurts in the condom as he closed his eyes and let his orgasm wash over.

He barely registered the gasps and moans Tony and Steve respectively let out while they came in unison between their chests. Bucky felt dazed, his breathing was still irregular, but after a few seconds he calmed from the high.

He opened his eyes again just in time to see Tony shifting uncomfortably around Bucky’s now flaccid cock.

“Sorry, baby.” he mumbled, voice a little hoarse, as he gently laid a hand on Tony’s back to caress it distractingly while he pulled out.

He collapsed on his side after throwing away the used condom and smiled absently, watching his lovers snuggle tiredly against each other. It was so cute that he almost felt completely content just watching.

Almost. 

He wrapped one arm over Tony and scooted closer to them, kissing them both delicately on their temples.

“We should take a shower.” he suggested softly, his lips curving into a grin as Tony scoffed and waved a tired hand at him.

_ “Soon.” _he signed, slowly dozing off with a soft snore.

-

EPILOGUE

Tony watched from the counter, lost in thought, as the blooming pink flowers from a tree across the street swayed with the chilly spring breeze. It’s been a long time since this tree bloomed so passionately. Tony’s been watching it over the years, but it had never bloomed like this before. It’s as though there’s a new energy inside, something nicer, richer running through it.

He sighed dreamily, happy for the tree and closed his eyes. It was about time.

Tony heard as his friends laughed a few tables to his left, only sound ringing through the mostly empty bakery. Not many people come in on Wednesdays, so it was a really good day to relax. Rhodey had been telling Nat, Carol and Maria some of their anecdotes from their time in high school while Pepper corrected Rhodey from time to time, huffing a laugh together with the rest.

“There was also one time Tony managed, somehow, to _ lose _his damn frog in biology class!” Rhodey voice was loud, as the rest of them were still catching their breath from a previous story. Tony rolled his eyes, knowing full well what will be said next. 

“He didn’t _ lose _the frog, Rhodey, he saved it from a merciless death while all of our classmates ended those poor frogs’ lives like it was nothing.” Pepper cut in.

To which Rhodey always answered:

“That’s what he told you _ after _he lost the frog.”

And to be completely honest, Tony contemplated - as they laughed, resting his chin in his hands as he watched them interact - listening to them tell the story was just as fun as the story itself.

The ringing of the front door bell brought his attention back to work. He straightened his back and put on a professional smile, only for it to slowly morph into a genuine one as he saw Monica jumping excitedly, the only thing stopping her from running a mile per hour was the hold she had on both Steve and Bucky’s hands.

“Mommys'! Daddy!” she squeaked, letting go of the grip she had on their hands and sprinted to hug Maria.

“Hi, monkey, how was class today?” Maria asked, giving her daughter a sweet kiss on the forehead.

“Teacher James taught us about Egypt today! Did you know they had a god that was half dog and half human?”

“Oh, really?” Carol said, gasping in surprise.

Tony snorted and let them interact, focusing his attention on the two men coming his way.

“Hey, Tones.” Steve chirped. He had a smile so bright, it was almost blinding.

_ “What’s gotten you so happy today?” _

“I really don’t know, Tony. Steve woke up like this, I guess.”

“Hey!” Steve pouted, yet the gleam in his eyes wouldn't be dimmed. “Can’t I be happy from time to time?”

“Honey, you are _ always _ happy. This is almost verging on too much.” Bucky stated, smirking.

“That’s not what you told me this morning, when I, ah, woke you up to the best way possible.”

Bucky narrowed his eyes, held Steve’s defiant gaze for a few seconds but slumped his shoulders in defeat.

“Touchè.”

_ “Guys, not that I wouldn’t love to know everything about that, but there are children in here.” _ Tony signed.

“Oh, we’re telling you, don’t worry.” Bucky flashed him the filthiest smile, and oh, would you look at that - Tony had completely forgotten how to breathe.

Steve rolled his eyes, bending over the counter to give a quick peck on Tony’s lips.

“Let’s stop bothering Tony while he works.”

“But I love bothering him.” Bucky whined childishly. He kissed and nipped Tony’s lips before following Steve to sit with their friends.

Really, Tony huffed out a laugh, lips tingling with the ghost of the kisses they had left him with. For someone who’s been criticizing Steve’s joyfulness, Bucky sounded just as cheerful. If not more.

With one last glance for where they were all seated, Tony turned around and started brewing their usual, a frappuccino for Steve and a simple double shot espresso for Bucky. As he placed them on the tray, a shiny metallic pink wrapper caught the corner of his eyes.

The pink truffles. They’ve been off the supplies for some time now, he didn’t remember seeing them at all in the autumn or winter.

Tony suddenly was brought back all those months ago, to the first time they got through those doors, the first time they locked eyes, the first time they flirted. The emotions they brought was almost overwhelming, prompting him to let out a few tears. He picked two truffles and placed carefully next to the mugs. They probably didn’t remember it, but even if they didn’t, Tony was sure they would like the chocolate.

He was pleasantly surprised as their eyes widened in recognition, quickly moving from the truffles to Tony, who in turn blushed, hiding a shy smile.

“Here.” Bucky said, voice trembling slightly. He dragged a chair from another table for Tony to sit, while Steve helped with the tray, putting down the mugs and holding on to the truffles. “Do you wanna sit with us for a while? Looks like you can have a break.” His eyes shifted towards the empty tables before landing on Tony again.

Tony took in Bucky’s hopeful expression, Steve’s radiant smile and their group of friends before nodding, without a second thought.

_ “There’s no way I can refuse _that.”

Deep inside, Tony felt his heart bloom like the tree from the other side of the street.

_It's not a sunrise over canyons shaped like hearts_   
_It isn't bursting into song in Central Park_   
_We may be tiny to the world, but in our hearts_   
_We be giants with our tiny, tiny love_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :') thats it. <3  
[My tumblr sparkly-angell](https://sparkly-angell.tumblr.com/)

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [[Podfic] Star Cake](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23271088) by [PinkGold](https://archiveofourown.org/users/PinkGold/pseuds/PinkGold), [Podfics by Juuls (Juulna)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Juulna/pseuds/Podfics%20by%20Juuls)


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